Police said John Wesley Mosley, 65, of the 700 block of Essex Avenue, is charged with attempted first-degree murder, first-degree arson and first-degree assault. He is held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center.

Authorities said the investigation, which is ongoing, shows that Mosley became involved in an argument with the victim Tuesday morning, just before the fire. The victim told investigators she was calling police when she heard a loud noise and saw fire and shattering windows. The victim and other witnesses told police that Mosley's behavior has been strange lately. For example, neighbors said they have seen him yelling outside his house.

Because of the victim's description of the fire, police investigated the possibility that an incendiary device was involved. A search warrant executed Tuesday at Mosley's home found no hazardous materials on the property. Based on a positive reaction from an accelerant-sniffing dog, investigators believe that an accelerant was used to start the fire.

Police have sent Mosley for emergency evaluations twice in the past, in 1995 and 1996.

The investigation of Tuesday's fire shows that Mosley and the victim have been neighbors for many years, with no history of trouble. Police were called to Essex Avenue twice in the last month to investigate a suspicious condition. In both cases, the reports to police involved complaints from neighbors about Mosley's behavior and in both cases, Mosley refused to talk to police.

Baltimore County Police Department's Mobile Crisis Unit, which responds when someone appears to be in crisis or suffering from a mental illness, responded to Mosley's home on Feb. 2. Mobile Crisis officers provided advice to Mosley's neighbors (the victim and her friend, who was not at home at the time of Tuesday's fire) and attempted to speak with Mosley.

Images: Essex house fire injures 3

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WBAL-TV\Barry Simms

A woman and two rescuers were injured in an Essex house fire that may have been sparked by an incendiary device, officials said.

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